Turnabout Reconcilation
by Richforce
Summary: Crossover with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Tension increases between Raye and her father as he is accused of murder. Can the real killer be found?
1. Chapter 1

This is a crossover between Sailor Moon and the game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney belongs to Capcom. The trial system in this story only applies to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and does not reflect events in real-world courts. All characters, laws, and legal matters in this story are works of fiction.

Turnabout Reconciliation

"Urk! Urk! Gaaaaaag…."

A man was being strangled from behind and then he fell limp.

"I can't believe I did it, It wasn't supposed to be like this. No one must know about this, no one. HE has to take the fall!"

* * *

April 17 7:28 PM

Tres Bien Restaurant

Private Booth

Two people were inside eating. One was Raye Hino, a beauty with long black hair and violet eyes who was celebrating her 18 birthday, the other her estranged father Roger Hino; who was currently running for the office of prime minister. He had black hair and wore glasses over his violet eyes. Every year she would get a new dress from him and they would have dinner together, it was a ritual she looked forward to less and less each year.

"You haven't touched your food." said Roger.

"I'm not that hungry." said Raye.

"I thought you would be a little more excited, you know at the possibility that you could be the Prime Minister's daughter."

"Frankly I could care less."

"If that's the way you want it, after all you are legally an adult now, you can do just about anything you want."

At that moment a police officer came into the booth. "Captain Fitz, I haven't seen you since the last policeman's ball." said Roger.

"I afraid I'm not here to thank you for your donation there." said the captain. "Roger Hino, I'm here to place you under arrest for murder."

"MURDER!"

Raye was stunned silent as the police took her father away.

* * *

April 18 2:14 PM

Wright & Co. Law Offices

The TV was on in the lobby of the small office. "The Trial for Councilor Roger Hino is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00 AM." The reporter on TV said. "The Councilor who is currently running for the office of Prime Minister was arrested yesterday on suspicion of the murder of Alvin Gebra, an accountant for OmniDyne Insurance."

"He did it!" said Maya Fey. "You can never trust a politician!"

She was a 20 year-old young woman with Green eyes and long dark hair that done into a topknot and wore an unusual purple outfit. Maya was a Spirit Medium; she was able to channel the spirits of the dead.

"Aren't you jumping to conclusions?" asked Phoenix Wright. "I mean just because he's a politician doesn't make him a murderer."

He had blue eyes, spiky black hair and wore a blue business suit with a red tie. At 27 years of age Phoenix Wright was quickly becoming the rising star of criminal defense attorneys. If you were innocent he could not only prove it but expose the real criminal as well. He was also known for turning about seemingly hopeless trials into dazzling successes. He accepted Maya in the office not only because of her powers but because she was the sister of his mentor Mia Fey, who was murdered soon after his first case.

"Well maybe not, but they're always making promises and never delivering."

At that moment a young woman of about 20 with blue eyes and blonde hair done into two buns with long braids came into the office. "Um, is there a Phoenix Wright here?" she asked.

Phoenix took off a pin at his collar with an image of the scales of justice and presented it to the girl. "That's me, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!"

"What's that?" The girl asked.

"That's my Attorney's badge; it shows I'm a lawyer."

"It's real dinky, not like a police badge."

Phoenix looked hurt. "Um, why don't we just step into my office and discuss why you're here?"

"Oh, yes." They all went to the office. "I need you to defend someone."

"But not you."

"No, the father of a friend."

"Father of a friend?" Maya asked.

"My friend's name is Raye Hino."

"Hino…" Phoenix mused. "Wait a minute! You want me to defend Councilor Hino!"

"Well, yes."

"But that guy should have at least a dozen high priced lawyers he could turn to!"

"They all turned him down; they say the case can't be won."

"But why did his daughter send you instead of coming herself?"

"She doesn't know I'm here."

"WHAT!"

"We're part of…a close knit group. Lately she's been this walking bad mood so we've been trying to get her to talk with her father, but they aren't what you would call close. If he's found guilty then she'll never get the chance to get to know the real him! So I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said 'Find me a lawyer.' Another member of our group, Amy, said she heard a lot of good things about a lawyer named Phoenix Wright so I looked for him."

"Ok first things first, what do you know about the murder?"

"Not much really, the most memorable thing about it is that is took place on Raye's birthday. We were going to throw her a big party but she said she had to see her father and she 'just wanted to get the day over with'."

"Ok I guess we'll just have to see Councilor Hino himself then get an Autopsy."

"Autopsy?"

"Let me explain. An Autopsy is a police record on how and when a person died, if we want to use it as evidence in the trial we have to ask the Police for a copy."

"But to do that don't we first need for the Councilor to agree to have us represent him?" said Maya.

"You're right we need a letter of request."

"Letter of Request?" Serena asked.

"A document proving that he requested our representation."

"Ok then let's go!"

* * *

April 18

Detention Center

Visitor's Room

As they entered three other girls rushed Serena. One had long blonde hair and blue eyes, another was a brunette with a ponytail and green eyes, and the last one had short blue hair and blue eyes.

"Serena!" they said.

"So you got a lawyer?" asked the blonde.

"Of course." said Serena. "Let me introduce Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey; Maya and 'Nick' meet my friends Amy, Lita and Mina."

"It's nice to meet you all." said Maya.

"Are you sure he can do the job?" asked Lita.

"He has a near perfect record." said Amy. "I'm sure he can win."

"Of course." said Phoenix. "That is if he's innocent."

"Of course he's innocent!" yelled Serena. "What kind of defense attorney doubts his client?"

"He hasn't agreed to let me represent him, so why don't I go and speak with the man himself?"

Phoenix came face to face with the Councilor separated by thick plastic window.

"You must be the attorney the girl found." The Councilor said.

"Phoenix Wright and this is my assistant Maya Fey, can you tell me a little about the case?"

"I've heard good things about you Mr. Wright. The victim in the case is Alvin Gebra; the chief accountant for OmniDyne Insurance. He was strangled to death."

"Why do they think that you killed him? It doesn't sound like you knew the victim, did you?"

"Barely, he did some accounting work for my campaign but I had to let him go. He ruffled a lot of feathers and everyone in my campaign office said he was an ego manic who was impossible to work with."

(Sounds like the type of guy who makes enemies easily.) Phoenix thought. "And where did the crime take place?"

"His body was found in his office in the OmniDyne Insurance building, and before you ask I was there; I was in a meeting discussing the possibility that they could make contributions to my campaign. It was around the time of that meeting that the murder took place."

"Why did they arrest you?" asked Maya.

"The police said they found decisive evidence, my fingerprints in his office."

"How did they get there?"

"I have no idea; I never set foot in his office."

"That's odd." said Phoenix. "You do have an alibi don't you Councilor Hino?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"But it could prove you innocent!" said Maya.

"They wouldn't believe me, not with those damn fingerprints all over his office."

"Could you tell me where we could get to OmniDyne?" asked Phoenix. "Also I would like you to sign a letter of request."

"Fine, I'll sign that letter and give you directions. But Mr. Wright by taking this case you have agreed to take my life in your hands, don't screw it up!"

(Raye is her father's daughter.) thought Serena.

Phoenix had similar thoughts. (Your confidence is inspiring, not!) "Thank you." he turned to Maya. "We're done here."

"I'm coming with you!" said Serena.

"What!"

"I want to help!"

"Come on Nick, what harm could it do?" said Maya using his nickname.

"Ok, but at best we have three days to prove his innocence and if she gets in our way she's gone."

"Why three days?" asked Serena.

"Its part of the Initial Trial system they started using a few years ago. Cases were coming into the courts faster than they could handle so they speeded up the process. Now the initial trial to determine the defendant's guilt or innocence can last no longer than three days, most of them end in a day with a guilty verdict."

"That doesn't sound good."

"All of my cases were done under this system, I can handle it."

"So where to now?"

"We have to see an old friend about an autopsy." said Maya.

"And if I know him he'll be waiting for us at OmniDyne."

* * *

April 18

OmniDyne Insurance Building

Main Lobby

"This is a pretty tall building." said Serena.

"Well from what I heard OmniDyne is one of the biggest insurance companies in Japan." said Phoenix.

"Hey Nick!" a voice said from behind them. They turned to see a young man in an orange jacket with blue eyes and blonde hair that went up to a point and a goatee.

"L-Larry!" said Maya.

"Long time, no see!" he said. "Who's the cute girl with you?"

"My name is Serena, you know this guy Mr. Wright?" Serena asked.

"His name is Larry Butz." said Phoenix. "We've been friends since grade school. Back then we had a saying, 'If something smells it's probably the Butz.' Not that he's a bad guy he just has really rotten luck. So Larry what are you doing here? Last time I saw you, you trying to be a picture book author."

"Well my book didn't go over well with publishers so I had to ask the KB Corporation for my security guard job back and they rented me out to OmniDyne. I guess you're here because of the murder huh? Then you'll need to talk to me!"

"Why's that?" asked Maya.

"Cause you're looking at the guy who found the body!"

"Ok Larry, tell us what you know." said Serena.

"It was around 5:50 PM, I was getting ready to go home when I noticed a fire alarm go off for the 14th floor employee lounge. I knew the fire department was coming but I had to make sure things were ok. I went up to the lounge, found it was just a trash fire and used an extinguisher to put it out. I then checked the offices to see if anyone was still there, that was when I found him, dead."

"You didn't see anyone else?" asked Phoenix.

"Most of the staff had already left, but now that you mentioned it there was the Janitor who found the body with me."

"Another witness, can you tell us where he is?"

"Probably upstairs being questioned by the cops."

"Did you know the victim before this happened?"

"I knew Al, every time he passed by the security booth he told me to 'get a real job.'"

"Thanks Larry, guess we'll see you in court tomorrow."

* * *

April 18

OmniDyne Insurance Building

14th floor hallway

"Hey Pal!" they heard. "You're impeding an investigation!" the voice came from a man with black hair, brown eyes and a trench coat. He wore a bandage on his cheek.

"It's us Detective Gumshoe." said Maya. "We're defending the Councilor, here's his letter of request."

"Oh ok, but what about her?" the detective said as he took the letter.

"She's with us."

"Ok, alright then." Dick Gumshoe was a detective at the homicides division of the local precinct. He was a good cop but he tended to let people walk over him too easily, as a result he tended to agree to pay cuts from his bosses.

"How's your investigation going?" asked Phoenix.

"To tell you the truth except for the fingerprints, he weren't able to find much. We weren't able to get any surveillance footage of the killer."

"Why not?" asked Serena.

"Each floor has cameras in all rooms except private offices, restrooms and service areas. Data is gathered in servers on each floor and the sent to the main security room. Well, on the day in question there was some sort of overload in this floor's server so we don't have any footage of the killer entering or leaving the office. Since the cameras were working in the elevators the only way the killer could have escaped without being seen is by using the nearby stairwell. Still I can't believe that they think he did it."

"Doesn't sound like you believe he did it."

"Not Roger Hino! He's the 'Man of the People'! No way could he kill anybody!"

"You seem pretty convinced of his innocence."

"Look at this article." Dick pulled out a newspaper clipping. "The Councilor took time out of his busy schedule to help clean up a beach, now is that kind or what?"

(I call it a campaign stunt personally) "Mind if I take this?"

"Not at all, I guess you'll want the autopsy report as well."

Phoenix thanked the detective for the clip and started to read the report as they went down the hall. "According to the report the victim died at 5:25 PM after being strangled with a scarf for five minutes. That would mean the attack started at 5:18 PM."

"So when Larry and the Janitor found him he was already dead for a half hour." said Maya.

"So no one actually saw the murder." asked Serena.

"That's one thing going for us, now to the scene of the crime." said Phoenix.

Serena was stunned by the white rope outline of the body and the disarray the office was in. The outline's feet were facing the door. "Oh my god, I can't believe that a man actually died here. How did you two get used to this?"

"We never did." said Maya.

"Looks like the cops picked this place clean of evidence."

"Not quite." said Phoenix as he put on a pair of gloves and picked up a small strange looking box with a pair of wires coming out of either end. "A shunt, this is used to reroute electrical signals."

"Why didn't the police pick this up?" asked Serena.

"It was in a dark corner, behind the desk. It was easy to miss."

"So what does this mean?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe everything; we better check the stairwell the killer probably escaped through."

* * *

April 18

OmniDyne Insurance Building

Eastern Stairwell

"Hey there's a footprint on the wall!" Serena said as soon as they entered.

"That is unusual." said Phoenix.

"Look at this!" said Maya as she bent down to the floor. "A gold pendant!"

"Don't touch it." said Phoenix. "It could be evidence. It has initials on it, L & S." As he put the pendant in his pocket he noticed something else. "A pin, there's writing on it. 'Employee of the month, finance division.'"

"What are you doing here?" a gruff voice said. Every one turned around to see a dirty looking man with long white hair and a moustache in a janitor's outfit.

"We're lawyers representing Councilor Hino. And who are you?"

"Scruffy, the janitor."

"Wait; were you the guy who found the body with Larry?" Maya asked.

"Yep."

"Can you tell us about it?"

"Nope."

"Is there a reason why you won't tell us?"

"Yep."

"Can you tell us what is?"

"Nope."

"This guy is a fountain of information." Serena said sarcastically.

"We better get going." said Phoenix.

"The trail's going to end tomorrow." said Scruffy.

"You think he did it?"

"Don't matter what I think, what I know is that I found the body and the company wants this over with quickly and quietly."

"Why?"

"Don't know, but I think you'll find out in court."

As they left the building Serena asked Phoenix. "Why would OmniDyne want this buried quickly? Since it was their chief accountant who was killed I thought they would be angry."

"I don't know," said Phoenix. "but winning this case may depend on us finding out."

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

A small note; chapters that take place in the court are divided between Witness Testimony and Cross Examination. If you are trying to figure out the crime yourself examine the investigation chapters and the witness' testimony before reading a cross examination section, they contain information that points to the guilty party.

* * *

April 19 9:52 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 3

The girls were talking to Raye. "Raye whatever happens know that we're here for you." said Mina. "Even if we can't come with you in the courtroom."

"I'm only here because my grandfather insisted on it; I don't care what the verdict is."

"But he's your father!" said Amy. "I hardly see my dad either, but if he was the one accused I…"

Phoenix and Maya came in. "Well it turns out Miles Edgeworth is prosecuting." said Phoenix.

"I heard about him." said Lita. "A big time prosecutor who rarely loses a case, he would do everything in his power short of breaking the law to get a guilty verdict."

"He may seem rough around the edges, but he's a good guy at heart." said Maya.

"You're friends?" asked Serena.

"Yes, but in that courtroom we're rivals. Our goals may be different but our purpose is the same, to find the truth." said Phoenix.

"So, can I win?" said Councilor Hino.

"I'd feel a lot better if you tell me your alibi."

"I can't, it would conflict with the evidence."

"Well it's almost show time, Serena you're coming with us."

"What?" Serena asked.

"You helped us investigate; we'll need you there in case you remember something we missed."

"Ok, you can count on me!"

"Just stay quiet unless you remember something really important."

* * *

April 19 9:59 AM

District Court

Courtroom No. 5

As they took there places, a man with black hair parted in the middle, grey eyes wearing a Lavender suit and a white ascot took the bench opposite the defense.

"Edgeworth, it's been a while." said Phoenix.

"Well I have been busy courting the woman I love." said Edgeworth.

(Edgeworth dating? I need to get out more.) "So when can we meet the little lady?"

"After the trial is over, now the game begins again. You versus me, using testimony and evidence to see who is right and who is wrong."

"Yeah, I missed it too."

Then a bailiff spoke aloud. "All rise for the honorable Judge Faire!"

Maya jabbed Serena as a bald man with a grey beard and brown eyes entered the room. "Stand up!" she whispered.

Everyone stood as the Judge ascended the podium and sat down. "You may be seated." He said. Everyone sat down and he banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Councilor Roger Hino."

"The Prosecution is ready Your Honor." said Edgeworth.

"The Defense is ready Your Honor." said Phoenix.

"Very well, the Prosecution may make its opening statement." said the Judge.

Edgeworth got up. "The accused is a prominent member of the Diet (AN: Japanese congress) who is running for the office of Prime Minister. However the Prosecution will prove that he killed the victim, Alvin Gebra, in cold blood and that his position does not excuse him of this heinous crime."

"Very well, the defense may make its opening statement."

"It's easy to cast doubt on our public leaders and those of us here have a tendency to think ill of the councilor under the circumstances. But we are here in this courtroom today for one purpose and one purpose alone; that purpose is to find the truth, that's what verdict means."

"The Prosecution may call its first witness."

"The Prosecution calls detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand." said Edgeworth. Detective Gumshoe stood at the podium in front of the judge between the two benches. "State your name and occupation for the court."

"Dick Gumshoe, I'm the detective in charge of homicides at the local precinct."

"Can you describe to the court the nature of the crime?"

* * *

Witness Testimony: How the murder took place

"Well to understand the crime one needs to know the layout of the floor where it took place." The lights in the court room dimmed as he turned on an overhead computer projection of a map of the fourteenth floor. "The victim was killed in his office in the southeast corner of the building." He marked the office with a blue circle with a white V in it, the desk and file cabinets were against the walls away from the door. "The whole floor has a surveillance system for except for restrooms, private offices and service areas. However on the day in question the system for the floor suffered an overload and the system went out, this also caused a small fire in the employee lounge in the opposite end of the building next to the server room." He marked the employee lounge with a flame mark, nearby a fire extinguisher was marked on the wall opposite the doorway. "At 5:20 PM the killer came into the office, snuck up behind the victim and began to strangle him." Gumshoe put a red circle with a K inside in the office. "At 5:25 the victim died due to lack of oxygen, since the elevator surveillance system was operational and we couldn't see the killer get on from the 14th floor he most likely had gotten on from another floor after using the eastern stairwell." He moved the red circle to the eastern stairwell plotting the killers escape route. "Thirty minutes later at 5:55 two men found the body after responding to the fire." He shown two green circles with W's in them, one moved from the western stairwell to the office. He then turned off the projection and the lights came back on. "The councilor was arrested later that night. One more thing I would like to submit the floor plans and the security report on the surveillance failure as evidence"

"Thank you, Detective." said Edgeworth.

Phoenix read the report. "April 17th. 14th floor, surveillance system failure occurred due to electrical overload. System was inoperable from 4:55 PM to 7:00 PM."

"Mr. Wright you may begin you cross examination." said the Judge.

"Cross examination?" Serena whispered.

"Nick is going to try to find a contradiction between the Detective's testimony and the evidence." whispered Maya. "This is what he does best."

* * *

Cross Examination: How the murder took place

"Detective." said Phoenix. "How were you able to find out when the victim died?"

"A body attracts flies and the flies lay eggs, from what stage of development the flies' offspring are in we can tell when a person died."

"Why was the Councilor arrested?"

"We found two pieces of decisive evidence, first we dusted for fingerprints on the desk and file cabinets, the defendant's prints were all over it."

"And the second?"

"The murder weapon, a scarf with the words 'Hino for Prime Minister' embroidered on it; it was found next too the body as this photograph shows." Detective Gumshoe showed the court a photo of the scarf next to the body; a series of small red bruises were seen on the victim's neck.

"But the victim worked at the campaign for a short time, how could you be sure it wasn't his?"

"We checked the scarf for prints, and they matched the defendant's."

Phoenix sweated. "No further questions."

Edgeworth spread his arms. "Decisive evidence, what more do we need?"

"I can pronounce a verdict right now." said the Judge.

"OBJECTION!" yelled Phoenix. "The prosecution is trying to convict the defendant based on a small amount of circumstantial evidence, it is impossible to convict him at this point in time!"

"Yes, you're right. Does the prosecution have any other evidence?"

Edgeworth waged his finger in a tut-tut manner. "Yes Your Honor, I have two witnesses who can place the Defendant in the building during the day of the crime."

The audience watching started talking. The judge banged his gavel. "Order in the court! The prosecution may call its next witness."

"The prosecution would like to call Mr. Larry Butz to the stand." Detective Gumshoe left the stand and Larry took his place. "State your name and occupation."

"Come on Edgey." said Larry. "You know it's me."

"For the court."

"Larry Butz, I am currently a security guard for the KB Corporation security firm on loan to OmniDyne insurance."

"Can you please tell the court about the day in question?"

* * *

Witness Testimony: The day of the murder

"I came in around 9:00 AM that morning. It was around 3:00 PM when I saw the Councilor come in. He said he was going to meet with the board of directors and I gave him clearance. Later around 5:50 I noticed a fire alarm had gone off on the 14th floor. Knowing the fire department was on the way I took the elevator up to the 13th floor and then went up the western stairwell. It was around 5:55 when I saw smoke coming from the employee lounge and went in to find a small trash fire. I used a nearby extinguisher to put out the flames. Then I heard someone yelling and rushed over to see who it was. It turned out to be the janitor who was looking into the office. I turned to see what he looking at when I found Al, dead. That's it."

"Two questions for the witness." The Judge said. "Why didn't the sprinkler system turn on?"

Edgeworth answered. "The system was turned off for maintenance scheduled for the next day Your Honor."

"I see, next why didn't the witness take the elevator all the way to the 14th floor?"

"The elevator has a special safety system installed." said Larry. "When a fire is detected in a floor the elevator will not stop on that floor. It's to keep people from stepping into an inferno. The only way to bypass it is with a key that only firefighters carry."

"Very well; Defense your witness."

* * *

Cross Examination: The day of the Murder.

"How did you know that is was the Councilor?"

"I've seen his campaign ads; it's hard not to notice him."

"And where was this 'nearby' extinguisher?"

"In the lounge, on the wall opposite the entrance; the fire was small so I ran past it to get the extinguisher."

"The extinguisher will be considered evidence." said the Judge.

(His testimony seems flawless, wait a second.) thought Phoenix. "HOLD IT! Mr. Butz you said you 'noticed' the fire alarm had gone off. You didn't see when it went off?"

"Well, no. Around that time my girlfriend, Claudette, was passing by when I saw a drunk trying to get fresh with her, so I chased him off."

"Can we get her to confirm this?" asked the Judge.

"Not right now, she's in New York for a photo shoot."

Phoenix sweated. (Another model, let me put on my shocked face.) Larry had a thing for models, but they tended to take his money and run. "So you didn't know when the alarm went off?"

"No, but the fire department said it went off at 5:49. I mean the short in the security system caused it."

Phoenix shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Huh?"

"The security report here says the system went down at 4:55, so when the fire started THE SECURITY SYSTEM WAS ALREADY DOWN FOR ALMOST AN HOUR! Can you explain this?"

"Uh no, I guess not."

"OBJECTION!" said Edgeworth. "Does the defense have a point?"

Phoenix put his palms down in the bench loudly. "It's simple, the fire and the system failure are unrelated; so it couldn't have been the fire that started the overload."

"Then what could it have been?" the Judge asked.

"I have only one explanation, the system was sabotaged!"

"You have evidence to prove there was sabotage?" the Judge asked.

"Yes Your Honor. An electric shunt, a device that that reroutes electricity, now that I realize that the system was sabotaged, I know what this was for, TO OVERLOAD THE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM!"

The audience started to murmur and then the judge banged his gavel. "Order, Order! Mr. Wright, are you saying that the killer sabotaged the system?"

"No Your Honor, the overload and the murder are unrelated. The shunt has found in the victim's office that means he had something to do with the overload. THE VICTIM DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN!"

"But why?" asked the Judge.

"I don't know Your Honor, yet. But we can prove he did want to go unnoticed. Check the shunt for prints and I'm sure we'll find the victim's all over it."

"Very well, the shunt will be turned over to the police for printing."

"I have no further questions for the witness."

"Very well, next witness." said Edgeworth. The Janitor took the stand. "State your name and occupation for the court."

"I'm a Janitor."

"Your name please."

"Huckleberry Dupree, but I'd prefer if you call me Scruffy."

"The court will recognize the witness' name as 'Scruffy'." said the Judge.

"Very well, 'Scruffy'." said Edgeworth. "Testify to the court about how you discovered the body."

* * *

Witness Testimony: What Scruffy saw

"It was around 5:54, I was mopping the floors like I usually do. I turned a corner and didn't notice anything. Then I saw an open door and I looked inside to see a body laying on the floor and the office in bad shape, like a struggle happened. I saw smudges on the desk and file cabinets and the police found they were the defendant's fingerprints. And that's all Scruffy has to say about that."

"Very well." said the Judge. "The defense will begin its cross examination."

* * *

Cross Examination: What Scruffy saw

"Scruffy." said Phoenix. "Your testimony IS A BOGUS TISSUE OF LIES!"

"You calling Scruffy a liar?" Scruffy snarled.

"You said that when you turned the corner you didn't notice anything at first. But there was something anybody would have noticed in that hallway at 5:54, smoke from the fire!"

"Urk!" Scruffy started to sweat.

"He's defiantly hiding something." whispered Serena.

"Lies beget more lies." Maya whispered back. "Expose one and his whole testimony falls apart."

"Scruffy did you see the smoke?" Phoenix asked.

"Well yes, but I thought that since this was a murder trial the fire was irrelevant, that's the word you lawyers use right?"

"The Witness shall revise his testimony." said the Judge. "Making sure not to leave out any details this time."

"Yes your honor."

* * *

Witness Testimony: Fire and Murder

"Well I did see the fire, but since I couldn't put it out I just pulled the fire alarm. It was while I was waiting for fire department that I found the body. But that's all I hid!"

"Very well, Mr. Wright your cross examination."

Cross Examination: Fire and Murder

"Scruffy, you're not a very good liar." said Phoenix.

"Say what?"

"You say that you couldn't put out the fire, but this contradicts Mr. Butz's testimony. He said that he used an extinguisher that he found in the lounge. So you could have put out that fire!"

"Urk! Well…" Scruffy was sweating heavily and was tapping his finger on the podium.

"Does the witness have an explanation?" said Edgeworth.

"Well, I didn't know about the fire extinguisher."

"The witness will testify about this matter." said the Judge.

* * *

Witness Testimony: Couldn't see it?

"You see I just looked into the lounge from the hallway. I couldn't see an extinguisher anywhere. I guess that Butz fellow has better eyes than Ol' Scruffy."

"Very well, the defense may cross examine the witness."

* * *

Cross Examination: Couldn't see it?

"Sorry Scruffy, but the floor plans marks fire extinguishers and one would be right across from the doorway. So it would have been impossible for you NOT to have seen it!"

"Um, well…" Scruffy started to sweat bullets and he was tapping rapidly. "You see the smoke, no, that fire, I, it wasn't, ALL RIGHT I CONFESS! I STARTED THE FIRE! I WAS BURNING EVIDENCE!"

The audience murmured. The Judge banged his gavel twice. "Order! I will have order!"

"So, Scruffy." Edgeworth said. "You started the fire to hide evidence that you killed Alvin Gebra."

"What? Sc-Scruffy ain't no killer!"

"OBJECTION!" said Phoenix. "You just admitted that you were burning evidence!"

"But I didn't say it was from the murder. I was burning evidence that I…stole from the boss man's liquor cabinet."

"Li-Liquor?" Phoenix was shocked.

"I have a weakness for drink and the president of the company keeps the really good stuff in his office. Normally you need one of them executive keys to get into any executive lounge, washroom or one of their offices; but the boss is getting on in years and he forgets to lock his office, so while he was in a meeting I snuck into his office and got me some of his good whiskey. When I was done I saw that the full bottle was now half empty, I couldn't put it back so I put the bottle in the trash and lit a match. But the fire got big all of a sudden."

"Well alcohol is very flammable." said Edgeworth. "You will be held accountable for starting the fire and your employers will be notified."

"There goes Scruffy's pension."

"Your Honor." said Phoenix. "The question here is motive, the defendant barely knew the victim. He had no motive!"

"OBJECTION!" said Edgeworth. "So sorry Mr. Wright, but I have evidence to the contrary."

"The Prosecution will disclose this evidence." said the Judge.

"With pleasure." Edgeworth got out some papers. "These are printouts from a file in the victim's computer." Edgeworth gave copies to Phoenix and the Judge. The printout had financial information on it. "Notice the entries circled in red."

"They seem to be donations from OmniDyne to the Hino campaign." said the Judge. "But corporations aren't allowed to give money directly to political campaigns!"

"The Prosecution would like to present the following scenario. Roger Hino was illegally accepting contributions from OmniDyne; recently the company has gone under investigation for corporate fraud. He was afraid that the committee would discover the illegal contributions, effectively ending his political career. So he went into the chief accountant's office to destroy all records of the transaction. However he didn't count on Mr. Gebra being in his office when he was searching for the files, so took his scarf, snuck up behind him and STRANGLED HIM TO DEATH!"

"This doesn't look good." said Maya.

"There's no way we can disprove that he went into the office to get those files." said Serena. "Maybe if I were smarter like Amy…"

"It's how you think, not how much you think that will get us out of this mess." said Phoenix. "If thinking normal doesn't give you an answer than think crazy, think outside the box."

"I don't understand."

"You and Edgeworth gave us everything we need."

"But all I really did yesterday was take a picture of that footprint."

"Just watch and learn."

"Does the defense have any comments?" asked the Judge.

"The defense has two problems with that scenario. First is the fact that the prosecution was even able to get that evidence."

"Excuse me?" asked Edgeworth.

"You claim that the defendant killed Mr. Gebra while trying to destroy files but if that was true, you wouldn't have any files to present! He wouldn't have gone to the trouble of killing the victim and then forget the reason he came into the office in the first place!"

"OBJECTION! He might have panicked after killing the victim and had forgotten about the files."

"OBJECTION! Let me tell you the second problem I have with your story first! The autopsy report says he was strangled from behind."

"And I told you the same thing just now."

"But there's a problem with that. The victim's body was facing the door, so the killer was waiting for him in the office but if you look at the floor plans closely, there's nowhere to hide in the office!"

"What are you getting at?"

"Simple, THE OFFICE IS NOT THE REAL SCENE OF THE CRIME!"

The audience murmured and the Judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Wright, please explain. If the office isn't the real crime scene then what is?"

Phoenix took the floor plans and pointed to the eastern stairwell. "It was here, the eastern stairwell!"

"Speculation!" said Edgeworth. "Or do you have proof?"

"Of course I have proof! We found a pin was found on the ground where stairwell intersects the fourteenth floor, on it was marked Employee of the Month, Finance Division. Now can the prosecution tell the court who was OmniDyne's employee of the month in the finance division?"

"The…victim, Alvin Gebra." Edgeworth was not happy.

"This proves that the victim was in the stairwell. We also have this."

"A photo of a footprint?" the Judge asked.

"This footprint was found on the wall of the stairwell. As strange as that is the defense has its own story to tell about this. The killer came into the victim's office surprising him. The victim managed to avoid him until he got to the nearest escape route, the eastern stairwell. There the killer attacked him and his pin came off during the struggle, and as Alvin Gebra was struggling for his life he kicked the wall with enough force to leave a footprint! Then after Mr. Gebra was dead the killer moved the body to the office, left the murder weapon and messed up the place, in order to frame Councilor Hino!"

The audience murmured and the Judge banged his gavel. "In light of this new evidence it is impossible to declare a verdict at this time. Therefore the trial shall be suspended for today. I expect the prosecution and the defense to investigate the matter thoroughly." He banged the gavel again. "That is all court is adjourned."

* * *

April 19 1:07 PM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 3

"Well we live to fight another day." said Phoenix. "Councilor, did you really accept illegal contributions?"

"No." the Councilor said. "I was in a meeting that day with the board of directors to ask for individual contributions from each of them, which is legal."

"Well we now know why OmniDyne wants this over with quickly." said Maya. "If we want the Councilor cleared, we have to show that he wasn't accepting illegal contributions."

"How are you doing Raye? Serena.

"Ok." Raye said. "It doesn't matter that much to me anyway."

"How could you say that?" Serena asked.

"He may be my father, but he never acted like it."

"But he must have had a good reason to do what he did. Maybe…"

But before she could finish Edgeworth came in. "The Councilor will have to return to the Detention Center." He said.

"Edgeworth, do you really believe he did it?" Phoenix asked.

"No, but it doesn't matter what I believe. You represent your client when you go into that courtroom, when I go into that courtroom I represent the people without passion or prejudice and my client has a case."

"I can respect that, even though you chose a different path than your father I think he would be proud of you."

"What do you mean a different path?" Serena asked.

"My father," said Edgeworth. "was a defense attorney."

"Then why did you become a prosecutor?"

"It's a long story; and Wright I have some advice for you during the course of this trail. Remember these two words; they'll be indispensable 'No Comment.'" Edgeworth then left.

"I wonder what he meant." Maya asked as they left the lobby. When they opened the doors reporters bombarded them with questions.

"Mr. Wright, is there any truth to the Prosecutions claim on accepting illegal contributions?"

"Does this trial mean he's out of the race for Prime Minister?"

"What is your opinion on the Councilor's opponent?"

"No comment!" Phoenix said. "No comment! Get that camera out of my face!"

To be continued


End file.
